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Friday, October 19, 2012

The players were disheartened today that the NHL dismissed the three CBA proposals they made during Thursday’s meeting in Toronto.

After the NHL made a proposal Tuesday, there was some hope that the players’ response would be the beginning of serious negotiations – and that might still happen – but the swiftness with which the NHL rejected the players’ proposals Thursday definitely put a damper on things and demonstrated there will be no quick solution here.

“To use (NHL commissioner) Gary (Bettman’s) words, it’s very disappointing and discouraging that they see it that way,” Devils backup goaltender Johan Hedberg said tonight. “It seems like it’s the NHL’s way or the highway. These are not negotiations if they want to do it that way and they know that too. I’m pretty sure they understand too where we’re coming from and what’s right and what is wrong. I believe our proposals were very, very fair and we believe we’re doing the right things.

The rest of the players were informed on what happened during the meeting during a conference call.

“We’re disappointed in how they treat us in these meetings,” Hedberg said. “They come out and all the sudden they’re telling the whole world how great their proposal is and the next day they’re telling the world how bad we are and that there’s nothing in it for them. So far, there hasn’t been anything in it for the players whatsoever. It’s just take and take and take and nothing has been going the other way.

“It’s disappointing, but I wouldn’t say I’m very surprised either just from the way how he’s been treating things before.”

Bettman said Tuesday that to fit in a full, 82-game regular season, they would have to start by Nov. 2 – with a week-long training camp beginning on Oct. 26. There is probably some wiggle room beyond Nov. 2, but not much.

Regardless, time is of the essence.

“You would think they would want to negotiate so they can get something going,” Hedberg said. “There are too many people depending on this and we believe we’re doing the right things. We’re trying to fix their problems long term, not only make the right teams richer. We want the league to be healthy and we believe we’re entitled to our contracts the way they’re written and have them paid out the way they are written. That’s kind of the discouraging part. I don’t think it’s fair to come out and act the way he does in his interviews.”

That said, Hedberg believes there will be more negotiations in the near future.

“I think there will be continuing talks, but the way that (Bettman) came out and addressed things was discouraging,” he said.

***

If you are looking for a positive from this week it’s that both sides submitted proposals that talked about going to a 50-50 split of HRR. The difference is how they want to get there. The NHL wants to go to 50-50 right away. NHLPA says it’s willing to go there over time.

The NHL disputed the NHLPA’s numbers, so that’s something they will have to figure out and negotiate. And there will be more negotiations and now we know the finish line. The next round of talks have yet to be scheduled, though.

The players also want the contracts they signed under the expired CBA to be honored in full. They were unsatisfied with the “make whole” aspect of the NHL’s latest proposal – the players would have part of their 2012-13 salaries deferred and repaid over the length of their contracts, but that money would still be subject to escrow.

So, somehow honoring the existing contracts continues to be a major obstacle along with the actual definition of HRR.

So far, the NHL has canceled the schedule through Oct. 24. That’s less than a week away now, so there will be more cancelations announced Friday. Last time, the NHL canceled two weeks of games. It might be more this time.

About

TOM GULITTI has covered the New Jersey Devils for The Record since 2002. Prior to that, he covered the New York Rangers for four years. Gulitti joined The Record in 1998 after six years at The North Jersey Herald News. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric-Literature.